Alicia asked me if she could air some of her concerns going into the new school year a few nights ago. She asked me to pray about them, but as we talked, I realized that this was a bigger undertaking than I had planned on. I had wanted a simple prayer to suffice, but God has something in store for this school year. I think one of those things is my discipline. I need to show a little more willpower to push through on things that affect my family. Praying for Timothy's school year is a good opportunity for me.
Because of this, I suggested to Alicia that we make this our prayer for the entire school year, not just this week. We hammered out a rough draft of what we wanted to pray about, and I am including it here for accountability. If it can help you develop a prayer for your child's school year, all the better:
Prayers for Timothy:
1. Protect his Heart (Timothy has a sweet, tender disposition most of the time, and I'm not quite ready for that to be stepped on yet).
2. Protect him from overload and burnout (we're not praying for an easy ride...just not one that will break him).
Prayers for us:
1. Protect us from gossip (you would be surprised at how many rumors and stories can be shared while waiting to pick up one's child after school).
2. Keep me from being dismissive (I am horrible! When I don't think something is that big of a deal, I dismiss it out of hand. This needs to stop).
3. That Timothy's teacher will see his needs (he has SPD). We also pray that she will see his strengths and that she will discipline with grace.
4. That the Lord would provide discernment for us. We will have gut feelings about situations...we pray that the Holy Spirit will let us know if they are right or not.
Finally, for all involved, we pray that truth will shine in all situations!
I have no doubt that our prayers will mold during the school year to fit various situations. For now, however, this will be our prayer.
Timothy, your mother and I are praying for you. You're all you need to be, and whatever God creates in you is what we want. We are committing you back to God, for his use, and we will do whatever we need to do to be a part of God's will for you.--Mom and Dad
2 comments:
Hello Dan. You were friendly enough to post on my site, so I thought I would stop by.
I hope Timothy has an excellent experience in school too. I was really concerned that my kids being the only half Japanese in a Japanese school would create problems, but the other kids were much more accepting than I thought. I hope that the other kids accept Timothy in the same way -- just think of him as another kid.
Gossip over here is pretty hardcore too. But I am used to being the topic of discussion, since I have stood out everywhere I go for the past 7 years. (only white dude in my part of town). So long as you all have each other (and God) I am sure it will work out great!
Carl
Carl,
Thank you so much for this comment. I appreciated what you write about on your blog and what you stand for. I'm glad that your kids are doing well. I knew some Americans over in Yokohama when I was stationed in Yokosuka who only let thier kids go to international schools, never the local Japanese school. I was always a little distraught over that. I'm glad to hear you've taken a different route. Well done!
Dan
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